By José Gandue @Gandour
Photo by Simona Malaika @simonamalaika
It's being announced now, as soon as the lights go out on what was Rock al Parque 2018, that the next edition will be held between November 2nd and 4th, 2019. Without anticipating that exact detail, we at Zonagirante.com suspected this decision, based on the interview we conducted a few weeks ago with Chucky García, the festival's curator, when he warned us in one of his answers that «"Work is already underway on the 25th anniversary edition, More than anything, it's about seeing how a celebration is carried out that reflects the importance of the festival not only in terms of artistic programming. In other words, 100% shouldn't depend on one poster; that is, yes, we have to work on a top-notch poster, but that shouldn't be the only thing: many things should happen, and it should be felt throughout the year and from other disciplines or forms or types of expressions. Let this be the year of Rock al Parque, more than just a 3-day event.".
The change of date, based on those statements, is understandable, since in addition to promising "a year of Rock al Parque", it's the best season to offer "a top-notch lineup" for the final three days. It is one in which the major European and North American festivals do not overlap, but rather combine efforts with some of the most important events taking place in the south of the continent., Favorable in the Southern Hemisphere spring. Costs go down, possibilities increase, and if they're talking about making a big impact, they'll surely be able to include a big name or two in the lineup. From there, don't be surprised if more than one gossipy "expert" on social media throws out all sorts of speculative nonsense, including the return of the Beatles or a joint reunion of Tupac and Biggie for the occasion. Have fun dreaming; it'll still be free, after all.
But, based on all this, the organizing institution cannot simply focus on creating a program that surprises locals and foreigners alike. That's where we can't forget that Rock al Parque is a public event, made with budgets obtained from the taxes of all Bogota residents and cannot simply believe that its success is similar to that of private events, where the goal is to sell the most tickets and everything else is a minor achievement. We are talking about a festival that was created to grow the local scene, so that Bogota's music is known and recognized by the inhabitants of this city., Creating a large and permanent space for what happens here to truly take center stage in the daily soundtrack of this capital city. Some might think it's exaggerated, but the true triumph of Rock al Parque should be that the city's audience embraces the repertoire of songs from both established and emerging artists as their own, rather than, say, the Rolling Stones performing at the end of the day. And for that to happen, if they're planning "a year of Rock al Parque," the focus should be on showcasing Bogotá's own acts. It must be total for all the months to come.
I would suggest the integration of a multidisciplinary advisory committee for Rock al Parque 2019. However, there needs to be a single person in charge who can handle all the festival's affairs. In the current organization, there are noticeable gray areas between the departments responsible for each aspect of the event, resulting in communication breakdowns. As with any similar activity worldwide, it's essential that someone receives information on all these aspects and is aware of every detail.
One aspect that urgently needs to be addressed, and discussed before it's too late., It's the matter of district calls for applications. Something tells us that the competitions for selecting local participants for the Parque festivals in general, and for rock music in particular, are cumbersome, with many unnecessary and systematic elements disconnected from the reality of a scene that moves faster than bureaucratic practices can anticipate. It's time to call a general meeting with the city's musicians and listen to their opinions on the matter. We cannot ignore their feedback. It's because of issues like these that Many of today's most popular bands refuse to participate in a process that complicates their lives. And that's where the festival loses its best representatives.
We need to talk about the festival's visual aspect. We've been saying it for a while now: Rock is not a cliché, and its definition has broadened over the last 25 years. A festival the size and popularity of Rock al Parque deserves the best possible corporate image. What has been done in recent years is aimed solely at the most radical audience, those who believe that rock is uniracial and one-dimensional, precisely in a mixed-race land of varied resonances, where the event's curators themselves have understood the complexity with which the programming must be constructed. If there is a budget, The competition should be opened to the best design studios in the country, resulting in the unforgettable poster that such a great event deserves. The goal, make no mistake, is to make Bogotá proud once again of an event that is unparalleled in the world. That begins with achieving an impeccable, attractive, eye-catching, and beautiful image.
Finally, I have one last suggestion, for now, in keeping with the spirit in which the festival was born and with which Zonagirante.com has always identified: Rock al Parque was, from its beginnings, an important benchmark in Latin America And it boasted the vast majority of the continent's most important bands. But we also saw the rise of virtually unknown groups that later became prominent exponents of music in this hemisphere. We should launch a major initiative that stretches from Río Grande to Tierra del Fuego. to invite a good number of Latin American proposals to be included in the program of what will be exhibited during 2019. Let's restore the festival's importance to our neighbors, let's welcome them back en masse like we did a few years ago, when thousands visited us to attend the most important musical event on this side of the world. Or do you really think that gathering more than 250,000 people for three full days is an everyday occurrence?
Anyway, let's talk. It's time to open the doors and seriously discuss what's going to happen next year. I know that Idartes, the organization responsible for Rock al Parque, understands that it's time to listen to the other participants in this music scene. Let's make a date and start talking.
